The girl behind the piano
by Qetanah
Summary: AU. Shane started slightly as the girl started to sing. He placed his hand on the doorknob after she sang for a few minutes, intent on finding out her identity. Her song was making it difficult for him to think; to breathe. Smitchie, Rated T.
1. Acceptance

_A/N: I own nothing, naturally, except for perhaps the imagined architecture of the Academy, and even that probably belongs in part to many other beautiful campuses that I put together in my mind._

* * *

Chapter 1

At the moment, it seemed perfectly natural for Mitchie to plaster a smile on her face. It seemed perfectly normal for her to play the understanding daughter and say, "Yes mom, I totally get it, and it's okay." She wasn't expected to be an actress, and wasn't surprised at all to see mom stifle a sigh - but at least Mitchie tried. She didn't stick around the breakfast table for much longer than that, however. A mumbled excuse about being late for school, and Mitchie stole out of the house.

"No luck convincing your family to let you go to that music school in New York, huh?" Sierra caught up with Mitchie at their lockers, her arms full of books, as always. Mitchie sighed and shook her head.

"I know it's way expensive, but part of me keeps hoping there'll be a way for me to go."

"You applied for that songwriter's scholarship, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but it's been weeks since they got back to me. Besides, the scholarship only covers the classes... I'd still have to hope on my parents being able to afford the room and board there."

Sierra hmm'd and ahh'd as a best friend should, while Mitchie dragged her feet to her first class.

"I know it's our last day until summer vacation," Mitchie groaned to Sierra, "but I can't help but think the day is going to drag on."

* * *

First period seemed like it way never going to end. All of Mitchie's distracted thoughts channeled themselves into music scratches on her notebook and second period flew by.

"What if you did get the scholarship, Mitchie? And what if you did go to New York? You'd get discovered, and meet all of these celebrities, and we could finally go shopping on Fifth Avenue... even if I don't like shopping!" Once Sierra got started, it was hard to stop her. Mitchie smiled in spite of herself; her best friend's enthusiasm was infectious. However, her mom's words from breakfast that morning brought her crashing back down to reality.

"I don't think it would happen either way, Sierra," the brunette sighed, fiddling with the pop tab of her soda can. "Mom's already made it pretty clear that funds are tight for the summer, and she's been trying to get into that culinary school for ages too."

"Oh right, right," Sierra mused. It was always entertaining for Mitchie to watch Sierra during the lunch hour; her best friend always made reading and eating seem like an acrobatic exercise. Today, Sierra managed to balance an apple, a sandwich, her juice and her book without getting anything on the book's pages. "Well, if your mom is off to culinary school then it's just you and your dad for the whole summer. Since he works all the time you're pretty much free to do whatever you want, right?" Without even waiting for an answer, Sierra continued onto another tangent. "Where exactly is this culinary school?"

"She never told me," Mitchie answered after a contemplative pause. Now that she thought about it more, she never actually asked where it was either. She never really asked her mother too much about it at all, really; everything Mitchie knew about the school she heard from overhearing conversations her mom had with her dad, or other various people. Connie had found out about the culinary school the same time Mitchie worked up the guts to apply for the songwriter's scholarship, and since then, the younger Torres was completely preoccupied with the music school. As Mitchie finally snapped the tab off of her soda can, she couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt for being so self-absorbed the past few months about her mom's plans. Sierra gave her friend a dubious look as Mitchie continued to stare into space thoughtfully. The reverie was shattered by the bell.

"Well, only two more periods to go," Sierra announced, stuffing her apple into her mouth so she could carry her books and all her things. She muttered something else and waited until Mitchie got up before leaving the cafeteria.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by in a whirlwind for Mitchie. Sierra's imagination had gotten through to her, and she sat for the next several hours doodling in her notebook. She thought of going to New York and meeting everyone who was anyone in the business. The thought of it almost made Mitchie dizzy, and once again, her rational side kicked her mentally, while her mom's words dug into the back of her mind.

The bell finally rang, signaling pandemonium as the entire school fought their way to two months of freedom. By that point, after some mental arguing with the dreamer and the rationalist in her, Mitchie was resolved to try and just have a relaxing summer, music school or not.

"So what're your plans then," Sierra seemed to get what Mitchie was thinking; all their talk of music school and fantasizing about New York never happened.

"I guess I'll go back to flipping burgers," Mitchie mused. Sierra made a face.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home!" Mitchie called out as she slung her bag onto the table. It'd be two months before she'd have to use it again... maybe less if by some miracle her dreams were fulfilled and she was going to New York. She banished that thought out of her mind quickly.

"We're making burgers, Mitchie! Out back!" Mitchie could actually smell them before her dad could finish what he was saying. The younger Torres groaned inwardly. All those nights at Barney's had given her a healthy dislike for burgers. As if her parents could read her mind, her mom called out.

"They're better than Barney's! Homemade by yours truly!"

Mitchie had to smile at that.

"I'll be right there!"

She ran up to her room to check her messages. Strangely, there was a letter lying on her keyboard, addressed from Brown's Academy of Music. Mitchie's heart started to pound in her chest.

Brown's Academy of Music had been a place that Mitchie aspired to go to ever since she was in elementary school. Ever since her parents had given her a keyboard as a gift, and ever since she learned how to use the Internet, Mitchie harbored a silent obsession about attending the music school. She followed all media coverage on the school, especially when Connect 3 formed. The leader singer of Connect 3, Shane Gray, was Brown's nephew, and after the band formed, Brown's school took off. Every summer teenagers from all over America, provided they had the money, attended the school with hopes that one day they might become the next leader singer of a top 40 band. In fact, all the members of Connect 3 had one time or another attended the academy, be it during the summer term, or for a short 2-week boot camp during the winter holiday.

Mitchie couldn't stop her fingers from shaking as she picked up the envelope. It had to be from the scholarship department; that was the only department she had any contact with. Quite honestly, she had expected them to contact her via e-mail since that was the method by which she submitted her application. She passed the envelope from hand to hand, feeling its weight, and wondering what it might have been. It felt heavier than just a single piece of paper, unless the academy wrote stories in rejection letters.

"Mitchie! Burger's getting cold!" Her mom's voice made her jump.

"I-I'll be right there!" she stammered in reply. Taking a deep breath, she quickly ripped open the envelope. Her eyes remained closed though, even as she unfolded a single piece of paper. Her fingers rang along the edges of the paper, feeling the letterhead of Brown's Academy of Music embossed delicately at the top.

* * *

_Miss Torres,_

_After careful review of all applicants to our scholarship program, we are pleased to inform you that you are one of the recipients of our scholarship prize – full tuition for our summer term. We have included for your convenience the brochure for the summer term at Brown's Academy of Music in order to give you an idea of some of the programs that we will be offering during these two months._

_Enclosed you will find your application for the school which will require the signature of your parent or guardian. Please take the time to review all the details and do not hesitate to contact us directly should any of these details have changed. Students are not required to stay on campus for the duration of the summer term, though it is recommended. Should you wish to be placed with a roommate, simply contact us and we will make the arrangements for you directly._

_We thank you for your winning submission, and look forward to having your talent with us this summer at Brown's Academy of Music._

_Yours truly,_

_Brown Cessario_

* * *

Mitchie stared at the letter, and turned the envelope upside down, sending the brochure cascading to the ground. She didn't even need to look at the brochure; she had been hiding them all over her house for the past four weeks hoping to give her parents a not-so-subtle hint. Over and over again she read the letter to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. The shriek of joy that fell from her mouth was cut short however, thanks to her rationalist.

"Mitchie, are you alright?" As if on cue, her mother was at her bedroom door. The letter fell from Mitchie's hand as the door to her bedroom opened. "Mitchie," her mother looked warily at her. "What's wrong?"

Without a word, Mitchie handed the letter to her mom. Her mother scanned the contents of the letter quickly, and took longer to regard her daughter. As Mitchie had her eyes cast to the ground, she completely missed the smile that spread over her mom's face.

"Come and have some dinner with us, Mitchie." Connie put her hand on Mitchie's back and guided her out to the patio.

* * *

"Honey, we have more reason to celebrate," Connie moved to her husband's side. Very quickly, Mitchie grew confused.

"What do you mean, celebrate?" The teenager gave her parents a suspicious look. "Mom, what are you hiding behind your back?"

Connie revealed a second envelope from behind her back. "Your father and I were planning on celebrating for me," she paused dramatically, "since I got accepted into the culinary school in New York!" For the second time that day, Mitchie's heart began to accelerate.

"That's amazing, Mom!" Mitchie was genuinely happy for her mom, even if her own acceptance letter didn't mean much. Connie could tell that Mitchie wasn't getting the point.

"So I guess that means we'll be having a mother-daughter road trip this summer to the Big Apple!" It was taking all of Connie's self control to not just tell her daughter flat out that she would be attending Brown's Academy of Music after all.

"What do you…" Mitchie let her sentence trail off as her mom's work sunk in slowly, far more slowly than the conversation she had with her in the morning. "Do you mean…" another pause as Mitchie tried to collect her thoughts. Finally she managed to whisper, "Are you serious?" The broad smiles on her parents' faces answered that question plainly for her.

The teenager finally let her shriek of joy forth, uninterrupted.


	2. Eavesdropping

Chapter 2

It was taking all of Shane Gray's willpower to fight the urge to punch Nate in the face, and then send Jason's thoughtless smirk into the window of their limo. Their last shoot did not go well, though by Shane's standards, it wasn't his fault at all. He had certain requirements as an artist, and if those requirements weren't met, he wasn't about to fulfill any obligations he may or may not have had. Naturally, Nate didn't see it that way. Jason just didn't see IT period. The three of them sat in the limo, the silence terse. Jason's silence, it should be mentioned, was self-induced as he was likely thinking of something completely unrelated to what Nate had just told Shane, on behalf of their label.

"I am NOT going back to Brown's," Shane said between gritted teeth. He could have sworn that Nate smirked, and Shane's knuckles grew white from willpower exertion.

"You don't really have a choice," Nate said slowly, calmly. Whatever attempts to diffuse the situation on Nate's part were futile, as Jason decided to take the opportunity to speak.

"Yeah Shane, you really blew it today." Jason shrugged, smiled impishly, and resumed staring out of the tinted window. The limo wasn't even moving.

"Jason, really." Nate furrowed his brow and resumed looking towards Shane, seated by himself on the opposite limo bench. "We've been trying for this shoot for months, Shane, and we can't afford to let you lose your temper like that again. We're lucky they even let us reschedule."

Shane frowned, dark eyes narrowed into slits.

"So all of the sudden this is my fault?" Once again, Jason beat Nate to the punch.

"Pretty much, yeah. That's why you gotta go back to Brown's."

Refusing to hear much more, Shane gathered his bags and his guitar. "Well," he said sourly, "I hope you two enjoy your nice relaxing summer at the vineyards." He got out of the limo smoothly and slammed the door shut by ramming the side of his bag into it. As he was stalking off, the window of the limo rolled down slowly.

"Just so you're aware, you'll be doing a press conference with the winner of the summer term's final concert."

Shane didn't even bother to look back. He could hear Jason laughing in the background and it was making him see red.

* * *

Mitchie could barely remember the ride to New York. It was long, but all she could think about was seeing the academy in real life. Pictures on the Internet and photos from the brochure could only sate her appetite for so long. Before she knew it, the looming skyscrapers of New York City blossomed into the horizon.

"We're almost there," Connie was practically giddy as she turned to look at her daughter. Mitchie knew that her mom's happiness was partly due to the acceptance to the academy, but most of it was that Connie would finally be going to culinary school. Much like music was to Mitchie, food was to her mom. Brown's Academy was Mitchie's dream, and the culinary school was her mother's.

Leaning over slightly, Mitchie flipped the switch on the radio, tuning it to one of the many stations in New York.

"And as you all know, Connect 3's summer tour has been cancelled," the DJ's voice echoed out of the speakers, and Mitchie raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't hear about that," Connie commented over the DJ.

"… word is that the notorious bad boy, Shane Gray, threw another temper tantrum on set, costing the band thousands of dollars in financing, and nearly severing all ties with their record label. The band has been given an ultimatum, clean up or clear out."

"Didn't those 3 Connect boys go to Brown's Academy?" Connie turned down the radio slightly and looked over at her daughter. Mitchie had to laugh.

"Connect 3, Mom, and yes, they did go to the academy. That's where they met each other and formed the band." After a slight pause so she could focus on driving, Connie spoke again.

"The things that fame does to young people, I guess." Mitchie laughed again.

* * *

"Well, I know this isn't exactly what you pictured New York City to be, but here we are! We're close enough to the subway so that you can take it to the academy every day, and I can take it to class every day!" Connie dropped her bags onto one of the small, single beds in their apartment, and went over to the window. Mitchie set her bags onto the other bed, and perched down on it with a smile.

"This is perfect, Mom. I don't care where we're staying, really. I'm just so happy to be here." Connie turned from the window to smile at her daughter.

"Let's go explore before we have to get settled in and ready for school," Connie made a face at the last word, causing Mitchie to laugh. The two quickly threw their things into place and left their small apartment. As luck would have it, both the academy and the culinary school were 20 minutes by commute from each other, with the apartment right between.

"So what's school going to be like for you, Mom?" Mitchie nearly had to yell to be heard above the roar of traffic as they made their way down the sidewalk. The two watched several limos pull by and giggled to each other. Their walk was taking them towards the academy.

"Lots to learn. We'll be on site at various functions during the summer as part of learning the formal catering.". Mitchie smiled at her mom and they walked in comfortable silence, each taking in the Big Apple in person. Even from here Mitchie could see the trees of Central Park and couldn't wait for the opportunity to take her guitar down there. The academy soon came into view and took Mitchie's breath away.

The brochures did not do it justice.

* * *

Tall swooping archways stood to greet any visitors to the academy, a U shaped building centered around a massive, elaborately landscaped courtyard. It seemed everywhere Mitchie looked, she could picture a musician sitting there, writing out his or her dreams in song. A gentle sloped hill topped with a plateau sat in the middle of the courtyard. On top of the plateau grew a willow tree, its expanse wide enough to sit at least ten people around the trunk, hidden in the weeping branches. It was growing dark as the sun started to set, and though Mitchie fell in love with the warm glow over the courtyard now, she couldn't wait to see it in daylight.

The building itself was spectacular, rustic brown brick stretching up at least two stories. On the sides of the U the building was held up by massive stone pillars. Several bronze coloured sculptures and wide benches dominated the space under the pillars, providing even more are to sit, and shelter from the elements also. The only thing that seemed out of place were the gothic looking gargoyles, but Mitchie's mom pointed out with a laugh that they all carried a stone instrument.

There was one tree in particular that drew Mitchie's attention. It resided in one corner of the courtyard that was away from the entrance from the street, and away from the entrance to the school building. The thick branches were decorated with knots, and the entire tree was so twisted and tangled that Mitchie was confident that she'd have no problem hiding in one of the crooked branches. She stared at it for a while before realizing that there was someone there. Apparently someone else had noticed it too, and was making their way towards the tree from the academy building entrance.

"Is that my nephew?" A clearly male voice rang out. Mitchie didn't have to see who it was to know exactly whose voice it was. She had heard the Internet advert enough times to know that it was no other than Brown Cessario. He had not seen Mitchie or Connie and continued to speak. "Well, if it isn't my nephew fresh from his tour? Where is the rest of the band, Shane?"

There must have been another student there. Mitchie leaned forward slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure hidden in the tree. Connie had lost interest by now and was lingering out on the sidewalk, staring off towards Central Park. Mitchie could hear rustling in from the direction of the tree, and positioned herself out of sight by circle of landscaped boulders.

"The rest of the band dumped me here, Uncle, and I'm sure you were perfectly aware of that." The rustling noise grew louder until Mitchie heard a thump; whoever was hidden in the tree must have jumped down. The voice was distinct and familiar, but laced with sarcasm and annoyance. To Brown, this seemed to be normal.

"I heard about your episode on set, Shane, and I'm glad you came." Set? Tantrum? Shane? Mitchie held herself up on the boulder to try once again to see this "Shane" figure. It couldn't have been who she thought it was, but she remembered the segment on the radio clearly.

"Yeah? You're glad? At least one of us here is," Shane snorted derisively. "You might as well go join Nate and Jason in the limo and start congratulating yourselves." Brown continued to speak as if he were having a relaxing, casual conversation with his nephew.

"I've been looking for a new, younger instructor," he began, "someone who can understand what these students are here for. You know they all want to be the next Connect 3." It even said so on the academy's website, Mitchie thought with a smile as she continued to eavesdrop, now slightly embarassed.

"Let's make it clear, Uncle. I don't want to be here. I'll stay on this forced exile only because it means that when I leave, I'll be gone again, on tour, with everything done how I want, when I want, I don't plan on catering to a bunch of wannabe rock stars.". At this, Brown laughed loudly.

"Is that what you're calling yourself nowadays? Rock star? Well, rock star," Brown emphasized this, "you're going to have to cater to me, and the students for the next 8 weeks, so I hope you're ready for it. Like you said, just think about your tour... it'll make it easier on you."

"Mitchie?!" Connie's voice snapped Mitchie out of her trance. Brown looked towards the direction of the voice, but it was thankfully dark enough that she could leave without Brown seeing her. Shane, being as arrogant as Mitchie figured, didn't even pay attention.

It was going to be an interesting term, Mitchie thought to herself as her mom dragged her off to see the lights at Central Park.


	3. Arrival

Chapter 3

The sun's rays were meager in the morning when Mitchie woke. She didn't sleep much the night before, being nervous about her first day at the academy. At least Shane Gray would be there, soaking up any and all attention. It wasn't that Mitchie was thinking that she would get any attention at all, but she despised being stared at. Most students at the academy had started attending when they were far younger than her, and newcomers were few. Mitchie sighed to herself as she went to wash up.

"I won't be back until probably after you, Mitchie," her mom was saying after a few minutes of Mitchie sitting down in the small sitting area of the apartment. "First day involves us going to different restaurants around Manhattan to observe dinner service."

"Mmhmm," Mitchie muttered distractedly. Connie came over and gave Mitchie a kiss on the top of her head.

"Don't be nervous. You'll have so much fun today - is that my blue shirt you're wearing?" Mitchie nervously smoothed down the fabric.

"I need something nice to wear today, Mom. All these other kids, you know they're loaded with money. They don't need a scholarship to afford the tuition payments." Connie frowned at her daughter.

"Your talent is what got you in to begin with. Don't let any object of money make you forget that, Mitchie. Now you better hurry before you're late for class. Then you'll be sure that they'll stare. Go!"

* * *

The walk to the academy today seemed longer than it did yesterday when her mom and herself were just poking around. Relatively soon though, Mitchie could see the tall archways that greeted her last evening during her walk. Her pace quickened as her excitement to see the courtyard in the morning grew. She wasn't even 20 yards away when she could hear sounds of singing and instruments floating from the courtyard. A quick peek around the corner into the courtyard brought a huge smile to Mitchie's face. She stood underneath the first archway and simply took in the scene before her eyes.

The willow at the top of the plateau was even more beautiful than she remembered from the night before, and the circle of boulders she was hiding in last evening were actually rocks shaped like chairs, all facing towards the center of the circle. Currently there were already two students seated in the circle, one of them rapidly drumming a pair of drumsticks against an unoccupied boulder. Another cursory glance towards the willow showed that there were indeed several students underneath its branches, singing together.

Strangely, the crooked tree Mitchie was drawn to last night remained empty, and she took this opportunity to get a closer look at it. Slinging her bag against a low-reaching branch, Mitchie took a deep breath, and pushed herself up and onto one of the thicker crooked branches of the tree. After a few moments, she settled herself comfortably against the trunk of the tree; her legs sprawled out and inclined up slightly on the same branch. This would be the perfect place for her to write, and she leaned over to reach for her bag; it was slightly out of her reach.

"Comfortable?" A hand removed her bag from the branch and handed it up to her. Mitchie looked down, surprised to see a wavy-haired girl standing there with a smirk on her face.

"Sorry," Mitchie stammered, "am I in your way?" The girl raised an eyebrow, still waiting for the bag to be removed from her hand. Mitchie quickly released the girl from bag duty and blushed. "Thanks."

"You're new here, aren't you?" The girl completely ignored Mitchie's question and continued to stare are her intensely, causing the blush to deepen on Mitchie's cheeks. "I don't ever remember seeing you here, and I've been coming to the academy for the past five summers now." She paused and looked over her shoulder towards another flock of students arriving at the courtyard from the street. "Anyway, I'm Caitlyn. Studying to produce," she paused and looked back at Mitchie. "Who are you?"

"Mitchie Torres," came the stammered reply. "I'm here on," she couldn't finish her sentence though, as a trio of girls suddenly appeared behind Caitlyn.

"Five years and you're still here, Gellar?" Mitchie looked up to see a beautiful blonde girl staring at Caitlyn with distaste. "You'd figure that by now someone would have discovered you. It's obviously not going to happen." The blonde scoffed, and the two girls behind her giggled at their friend's nasty remark. Caitlyn, still facing Mitchie, rolled her eyes and sighed before slowly turning around.

"Yeah, and that really explains why you're still here, Tess. You've been here longer than I have, and I don't see you going anywhere either."

"I'll have you know, Gellar, that my mother took me on her tour in Europe last winter. But of course you wouldn't know. You're not in with the times enough. That's why you're not going anywhere." The verbal spat was interrupted by a thud as Mitchie hopped out of the tree. She had counted on not making too much noise, and being able to sneak away from the group, but one of Tess' friends saw her. She gave Tess a slight nudge, and the blonde turned to give Mitchie the once over. Now at ground level, Mitchie could see that the blonde was tall, and held herself as if the world owed her some huge favor.

"I'm Tess Tyler. I'm sure you know who my mom is. And you are?"

"Mitchie Torres," came the quiet reply as Mitchie winced inwardly at the uncomfortable scene. Of course she knew who T.J. Tyler was; only one of the biggest female singers there ever was. She really didn't want to be in the middle of the broiling catfight, and really just wanted to head inside the building to class. One of the girls, a pretty darker skinned girl finally spoke up.

"Torres? Is your dad Rick Torres, the music video director? My cousin worked with him, and I got to be on set. It was totally radical." Mitchie looked confused as she stared between Tess and her two friends.

"No, my dad owns a hardware store," she said slowly, wondering where Tess' friend would have gotten that idea. She didn't even register the look on the other girl's face until she remembered that students who attended the academy had money. They had families that knew other families who were heavily involved in the music industry. She looked between Caitlyn and Tess, then finally noticed that the latter seemed bored with talking to Mitchie.

"Whatever," Tess said, looking over her shoulder to signal the two girls to leave. "Ella, Peggy, let's go. We don't have time to associate with these people." Mitchie could feel the indignation rise up inside her.

"But my mom is top personal chef in LA for all the artists," Mitchie blurted out before she could control herself. Tess stopped in mid-stride; Peggy and Ella almost bumped into her. The blonde turned back around to look over Mitchie again, almost approvingly. Mitchie's heart was pounding so loud with that fib she was scared that Caitlyn could feel it, as Caitlyn was standing right beside her, simply staring at Mitchie with surprise. Tess came closer.

"This is Ella," Tess gestured to the delicate dark-haired girl beside her, "and this is Peggy," she nodded at the darker girl who spoke to Mitchie earlier. "We'll talk at lunch break. We sit over there," Tess pointed to one side of the courtyard covered in mossy stone benches and shaded by tall, slender apple tree. "You'll join is, of course. Ciao." Tess tossed a super star smile over her shoulder and walked off with Peggy and Ella, not giving Mitchie a chance to respond. Caitlyn let out a low whistle beside Mitchie.

"Well, looks like you got in pretty quickly with Tess Tyler. If that's your sort of thing, anyway. Word of advice when you're with her though, Mitchie Torres. Don't shine, or she'll definitely snuff you out." With that being said, all rather cryptically, Caitlyn waved over her shoulder at Mitchie too. "I've gotta get my laptop set up and start running over some beats I've been hearing all morning. Can't produce music unless I jot down my ideas. Catch you in class, maybe." Mitchie nodded and waved back. As soon as Caitlyn was gone she rubbed her face with her hands. What a way to start off her first day, and classes hadn't even started yet. She slung her bag back over her shoulder and made her way further through the courtyard and towards the academy building to explore the rest of the campus. A shrill shriek stopped her in her tracks.

"HE'S HERE! SHANE GRAY IS HERE!"


	4. Orientation

A/N: Thank you all for reading. Please be patient. I want to get as much of the story that I have in my mind out before we get to the good Shane/Mitchie parts.

* * *

Chapter 4

Mitchie fought her way through the crowd as it swarmed towards the entrance to the courtyard towards the famed Shane Gray. She looked behind her briefly to see an even larger crowd swarm into the courtyard, running after Shane Gray. Naturally, the paparazzi were involved, as were hundreds of screaming fans. Sure, the lead singer of Connect 3 was super cute, but it was easy enough to tear away from it all when the academy of her dreams was right in front of her. She stepped up a couple of granite steps and into the building.

The academy school building was even more impressive than Mitchie remembered seeing online. The tiled hallways shone in the sun that filtered in from tall looming windows that lined one side of the hallway. Most of the classroom entrances faced away from the street, but behind those rooms lay another more intimate courtyard, sheltered from the noise of the street. Mitchie gazed inside one of the classrooms, struck still by a beautiful grand piano that sat inside. The studio-esque classroom had mirrors for walls on three sides, while the fourth was simply a window that showed off the second courtyard. Looking around carefully, Mitchie stepped inside the studio when no one looked her way. Carefully shutting the door behind her, she gazed at the piano longingly.

A shaking finger landed gently on one of the keys, and the sound that rose from the piano lingered and reverberated in the empty, spacious studio. Once again, Mitchie looked around even though she had closed the door rather firmly behind her. After a very long moment, she let out the breath she held in, almost entirely confident that no one could hear her. Her confidence was only boosted by the sound of high-pitched female voices that traveled down the hallway; Shane Gray's fans likely had infiltrated the academy.

Mitchie's fingers traveled effortlessly over the black and white keys; though she only had an upright keyboard at home, she played the instrument religiously. Her parents would often have to remind her to go to sleep at night. The melody that drifted from the piano was something that Mitchie toyed with before she left for the academy. She still needed the perfect lyrics to go with the tune. Humming quietly to herself and closing her eyes, she blocked herself from all outside noise and movement. In fact, she was so into what she was doing that she didn't even hear the door open, and then close again.

"That's rather soulful, now isn't it?" came the jovial voice of Brown Cessario. Mitchie's fingers froze and so did her body, rendering her unable to turn around or run away. "So soulful in fact, that I might not give you too much of a hard time for cutting it so close to orientation time, hmm?" At that, Mitchie looked up in fear. She tried to open her mouth to apologize.

"I-I didn't, I m-mean I thought th-the time," she trailed off desperately, even as Brown just smiled at her.

"Go on then, get to class. But you do have to tell me your name first, as I've never seen you before, and I know all my students." The way he said it made it sound ominous.

"Mitchie Torres," she whispered, slipping off of the piano bench and scooping up her things quickly. "Sorry t-to have b-been a b-bother." Mitchie left before she could catch the funny look that came over Brown's face, as if he was realizing something.

* * *

"Hello students, I'm Dee, one of your instructors for this summers!" A happy, middle-aged woman stood on top of a stone stage at the back of the inner courtyard. Mitchie slowly slipped through and stood at the center of the crowd, clutching her course schedule close.

"Hi Dee!" Came a chorus of response, each student singing out to her in their own pitch. Mitchie smiled in spite of herself, and managed to catch the eye of Caitlyn, the girl who spotted her in the crooked tree that very morning. She made her way over after Caitlyn gave her a discreet wave, her hands hanging down by her sides.

"Hey," Caitlyn spoke in a low hushed voice, staring over at Dee, "did you hear Shane Gray is going to be a guest instructor this summer?" Mitchie had to fight the urge to laugh, and smiled slightly.

"It's hard to miss all the screaming fans," she returned in the same hushed tone. The two fell silent as Dee started to speak with more energy now.

"I'd like to introduce you all to our instructors for this summer term. Some of them have known you for many years, and we do have some new additions," Dee gave a dramatic wink on the stage. "I'm sure you've all heard the rumors, or should I say, the screams?" The crowd of students erupted into applause, cheers, and some of them did start to scream. Mitchie saw Tess and her friends out of the corner of her eye, and watched the glamorous blonde toss her hair over her shoulders and straighten up. Caitlyn followed Mitchie's sight line and sighed to her.

"You know she's going to be all over Shane, right? I swear, she thinks that they're a match made in heaven, or something." Caitlyn snorted and stared back at the stage. "Too bad over half of Connect 3's fans all think the same thing." Mitchie laughed quietly and looked away from Tess, trying not to let the close proximity of the blonde get to her too much. She clapped and cheered along with the rest of the students as the instructors came on stage, one by one. Dee introduced each one, and when it all seemed over, she took a step back.

"The next instructor needs little introduction, everyone. It's Brown's nephew, and the lead singer of the band, Connect 3!" Dee couldn't even finish her introduction before the students all started to cheer and scream. Mitchie jumped a little in spite of herself, but also cheered along with everyone else; even Caitlyn got caught up in all the hype. The only one who didn't seem to get caught up in anything was the instructor who took the stage, Shane Gray.

Instead of smiling and waving at the crowd, the self-proclaimed rock star took to the stage as if he owned the entire academy. An arrogant smirk graced his face as he stared out at the group of students. Throughout the entire introduction, Shane did not say a single word. Mitchie glanced over at Tess again, who was busy trying to make herself look taller by fluffing up her hair. She watched as Tess beamed smile after smile towards Shane, and finally managed to catch his eye. Surprisingly, Mitchie saw him smile back at her, and wink.

"Typical," muttered Caitlyn, who was also watching Tess. "I bet they're perfectly suited for each other, if what they say about his reputation is true." After Shane walked off to one side, a group of female students also followed, moving to the grass on the same side of the stage. "Come on, Mitchie, we better go start our orientation. I think it's better we not get caught up in this crowd," Caitlyn smiled wickedly, "as cute as Shane Gray is." The two girls walked off with their arms linked, laughing wildly.

* * *

"… I can't believe she would ogle him like that," came Caitlyn's greeting to Mitchie as the latter sat down beside her in the cafeteria. "And then she wouldn't shut up about him all through my first class. She kept whispering to Peggy and Ella. I thought it would stop after that, but then second class she kept going on and on about how he was the instructor for dance, and she had been taking dance lessons all year." Caitlyn crushed her napkin into a little ball and looked around as if she wanted to throw it at someone's head.

"I had to hear all about it too, Caitlyn. I was only sitting right beside you," a slender dark skin girl laughed, and her afro moved along with her movement. "Hey, I'm Lola." She stuck out her hand towards Mitchie, who shook it shyly after she set her tray down.

"Mitchie. Nice to meet you." Mitchie looked back towards Caitlyn, who was now shredding her napkin into little pieces.

"You new here, Mitchie? Caitlyn said she met a girl whose mom is an amazing cook!" Lola smiled warmly at Mitchie, causing Mitchie to blush, though it was out of nervous embarrassment that her little fib in front of Tess was making the rounds. She opened her mouth to reply to Lola, except Tess suddenly slid up to their table with Peggy and Ella in tow.

"You know, Mitchie, our table is just over there. You're welcome to join us there tomorrow for lunch. I'm sure it'll be much more exciting than sitting here." Tess looked down at Caitlyn and Lola, giving them both a scoff. Lola continued to eat her lunch and ignored what Tess said. Caitlyn, on the other hand, looked up at Tess with a glare. Mitchie noticed Lola jerk suddenly, and then Caitlyn mouthed a silent 'ow'; Lola must have kicked the wavy haired girl from underneath the table.

"I hope you've got dance and rhythm after lunch, Mitchie. Shane Gray is the instructor, and I bet it'll be the best class all summer. I'm sure Peggy, Ella and I can find some room for you to join in with us." Tess tossed her hair over her shoulder and glared down at Caitlyn. "Anyway, just ignore the riffraff next time, okay, Mitchie? Let's go, girls." With that, Tess swept away towards a table at the corner of the cafeteria, with large picture windows on both sides.

"I've got dance next after lunch," Caitlyn said between gritted teeth. Lola laughed and nodded her head at Mitchie.

"Same here. What about you, Mitchie? Will you be joining us for the Tess and Shane show?" Mitchie rummaged around in her bag, looking for the schedule she had been clutching for most of the day while she wandered the halls of the academy. She pulled out a now very wrinkled piece of paper and scanned through it briefly. With a mock groan, directed at Caitlyn, she slipped the paper towards Lola across the lunch table.

"Dance, third period." Now, both Caitlyn and Lola laughed.

"Welcome to an hour and a half of pure Tess hell," Caitlyn muttered darkly as the bell rang to signal the end of their lunch hour.


	5. The girl behind the piano

Chapter 5

"Mitchie, you coming? We're gonna try and scope out a good spot in the courtyard to relax before the second bell rings." Caitlyn, who seemed much calmer after that little confrontation with Tess, stood waiting with Lola. They both stared down at Mitchie expectantly. Mitchie shook her head.

"I'll be there in a bit, don't wait up for me. There's… something else I want to go look at first." Caitlyn looked as if she wanted to question Mitchie about it, but Lola, who was much more impatient to get outside, led Caitlyn away by the arm.

"We'll see you out there Mitchie, maybe!" Lola called over her shoulder as they slipped through the throng of students, all heading out of the cafeteria. Mitchie flipped to her itinerary again. She looked down at the block of time that ran for the next fifteen minutes between the end of the lunch hour, and the beginning of the third session. Before she knew it, she was nearly the last person sitting in the cafeteria. Gathering her bag up quickly, and pulling out a ratty notebook, Mitchie left for the hallways.

* * *

Mitchie was getting pretty good at making her way through the academy. Despite the size of the campus, the building layout was pretty straightforward. She headed back towards the first studio room she saw in the morning, and mimicked her motions in the morning before stepping inside. The piano was still there, which was a strange relief to Mitchie even if she knew very well that it probably wouldn't have moved anywhere in the past several hours. She closed the door soundly behind her, and only then noticed that a thick black curtain covered one set mirrored walls. She reached out to brush the curtain with her fingers, the velvet feeling warm and smooth under the touch.

The curtain soon lost her interest though, and Mitchie turned back towards the piano. She approached it carefully, as if it were going to suddenly disappear right before her eyes, and set her ratty notebook down against it, flipping open to a specific page. Before she sat down on the bench, she noted wryly the contrast of her worn notebook against the glistening, polished surface of the piano. For just a moment, she realized how out of place she felt in the academy, surrounded by all the talent, and teenagers of privilege. Mitchie finally sat with a sigh, running her fingers over the smooth polished keys. She flipped another page in her notebook, and started to play.

* * *

The notebook was given to Mitchie as a hand-me-down, and was version three, after she all but doodled the other two to destruction. She had begged her parent so many years ago to get her a notebook and her dad finally relented, giving her one of his intended for work use. Lucky for Mitchie, it wasn't suitable for her dad's work. Since receiving it, she became more diligent about not wasting the book. So for the past two years, Mitchie kept careful track of whatever tickled her inspiration.

At the start, Mitchie sang quietly, trying to smooth out what she had scribbled during her second class. As she grew accustomed to the acoustics of the studio, her playing and singing became bolder, and more confident. Pretty soon the girl was lost in the piano, with all concept of time gone to her.

* * *

The security at the academy actually was decent; the screaming fans and paparazzi weren't able to do much before being escorted off the campus. For this, Shane Gray had to be thankful. Unfortunately, the security could do little about the small mob of students that were following him throughout the school. Shane took the 15 minute window between classes as an opportunity to sneak away and prepare for his first class of the term. He carefully made his way through the hallway and was nearly at his assigned studio when the music stopped him.

It seemed as if whoever was playing the piano was speaking through the instrument. Shane swore he could feel the desperation in every note that rang out to his ears. He looked around the hallway quickly, and stopped at the door, looking through the small window into the classroom. From his vantage point he could see little of the pianist, and only the shadows of the sneakers were present.

And that voice! Shane started slightly as the girl started to sing. He placed his hand on the doorknob after she sang for a few minutes, intent on finding out her identity. Her song was making it difficult for him to think; to breathe. He rested his forehead on the glass of the small window and exhaled, fogging up the glass. And yet, she continued to sing, her words calling to him as she lamented and cried into the lyrics of her song.

_This is me._

But yet, who was she? Shane's grip on the doorknob tightened and just as he started to push the door open...

The school bell rang, which meant a flood of teenagers into the hallway. Were he another teenaged boy, he would have stayed to figure out who she was. But yet, he attempted to hide in the shadow of the crowd to watch for the girl to exit the room. When she did, he could see nothing. The crowd was too thick, too loud, and her movements must have been softer than them for she easily escaped into it. Shane couldn't even see what color her hair was.

With a dejected sigh, Shane also joined the crowd and continued on his way to his class. Just before he passed through the threshold into the studio, a wry thought popped into his head, putting a damper on his already sub-par mood.

_It's just my luck I have dance, an activity that requires no singing whatsoever._

* * *

Mitchie had to berate herself as she slipped into the crowd of students. She had completely lost track of time while playing on the piano, and if the bell hadn't been as loud as she thought it was, she would have not stopped. Still, she almost thought she had heard someone just outside that classroom door, trying to come into the room just seconds before the bell rang. By the time Mitchie even realized and got up to leave the room, the hall was already full of students. That made it easy for her to slip out, unnoticed.

Caitlyn and Lola had noticed Mitchie's absence in the courtyard during that brief recess, however. The two of them were already in the dance studio, both seated with their legs sprawled out in a stretch. Mitchie sat down awkwardly beside them, once again realizing how different her lifestyle was; she never had to dance unless it was for Phys. Ed. back home in high school.

"So, where were you, Mitchie?" Caitlyn gave Mitchie a questioning look. "Did Tess corner you?" Mitchie shook her head, and opened her mouth to answer. The slam of the dance room door made her think otherwise.

"Okay, if you're not here, you're late. And if you're late, you might as well not show up for the rest of the class." A distinct click of the door's locking mechanism echoed through the now quiet room. Every single pair of eyes, Mitchie's included, were focussed on Shane Gray's face. He smile slightly, though Mitchie found it more like a sneer.

"Prop bins are in the corner. Everyone grabs one item from each bin. I start count for the beat in 10 seconds and you can't keep up I'll make sure everyone in the class knows." Not a single body dared to move a muscle. Shane raised an eyebrow. "What more do I have to say?" he asked sarcastically. The response was a stampede of students towards the prop corner.

"I wonder what bit him in the ass this morning," growled Caitlyn to Mitchie. The former's snarl intensified as she watched Tess elbow her way to the front.

"This is going to be an interesting summer with a pop star," Lola quipped lightly.

It took all of Mitchie's self-control not to correct Lola and jokingly say "rock star".


	6. A rocky start

_A/N: Thank you for the constructive reviews! This is my first ff so I'm glad that you're enjoying what you read so far. Camirae suggested that I deviate from the plot slightly, so stay tuned to see if my imagination will let me!_

* * *

Chapter 6

The whole time, during Shane's dance class, Shane himself couldn't help but keep thinking about the mysterious girl behind the piano. Several times he caught himself shirking in his careful watch over the students, and took out his frustrations on whoever seemed to be off beat. At first the students cringed and seemed to be afraid, but as the studio got warmer, literally speaking, they seemed to actually welcome his criticisms. Perhaps some of them actually wanted to learn, or just wanted to be pointed out by Shane Gray.

There were a couple of students who looked as if they would rather die than even make eye contact with Shane. Three of them were positioned at the back of the room, dancing along to his beat. Two of the girls he vaguely recognized from his long ago summers as an academy student, but the third, the smaller mousy looking brunette, was completely unfamiliar to him. Out of that trio, she appeared to be the most uncomfortable, turning a deep shade of red every time Shane pointed out someone's misstep, or as he caught them stumble. He continued to watch the shy girl, intrigued, but also slightly annoyed that he was even intrigued.

It was about halfway during the class that his annoyance came to hit him hard. He was now torn between watching a pretty blonde and the shy brunette. The blonde was looking for Shane to notice her though, and if his PR team did anything for him while Connect 3 toured, it was to introduce him to the blonde's mother, T.J. Tyler. He was almost positive by now that she was a Tyler. The brunette was still avoiding all eye contact, and could only look up to his nose. Shane thought of Nate and Jason in this very scenario, but then realized those very two people were the ones who landed him in this mess. Instead of being surrounded by gorgeous, nameless babes on a beach somewhere tropical, Shane was stuck in this warm and stuffy dance studio, teaching a bunch of, as he called them, wanna-be rock stars. The idle thought of Nate and Jason was too much. It was exactly at this moment that the brunette leaned over to speak to her neighbor. Like a cat, Shane leapt on the opportunity. The music stopped abruptly.

"I'll have you know that we're in a dance class right now. The last I remembered, you dance with your body. Your mouth should stay closed unless you're counting the beat to yourself..."

* * *

"And I don't recall leaning over to chit chat as one of the dance moves that I taught you." Mitchie froze in her position as the unthinkable just occurred. She had spent the beginning half of the class trying so hard not to get a single move wrong so she wouldn't have to hear that sarcastic voice directed at her. While she refused to make eye contact with Shane, she could still hear the disdain and the acid dripping off of his words. Caitlyn elbowed her and Mitchie managed to mumble a pathetic apology. Shane then decided to turn his wrath on Caitlyn.

"I suppose," he all but spat out, "that you think you're entitled to do whatever you want because you've been attending the academy for so many years now?" Caitlyn glowered at Shane, but managed to hold her tongue. "Just so you're aware, I don't do favors like the rest of the staff here. I don't get paid by your mommy and daddy to be here," he glanced at Mitchie again with disinterest, "so you may want to think twice about slacking off in my class."

Without waiting for a reply, Shane turned his back on the pair and moved towards Tess, and Mitchie could see Caitlyn's irritation by the movement. Mitchie noticed the muscles in Caitlyn's jaw tighten as Shane spoke again. "Miss Tyler, would you please help me demonstrate the next move? You seem to be picking up on this rather quickly." Tess giggled loudly and Mitchie had to fight the urge to groan. She could almost feel the rage radiating from Caitlyn as Tess took Shane's hand and joined him at the front of the class.

* * *

There was no doubt about Tess' ability, whether it was natural or purchased was a complete other story. Mitchie felt the dangerous stab of envy as she watched how fluid Tess' movements were, aided by the grace that her long limbs afforded her. Shane, and likely every other male in the classroom noticed too; Mitchie only really saw how Shane's gaze lingered on Tess. She must have been staring too long and too intensely at the young instructor however, for he quickly shifted his gaze to her. Mitchie looked away quickly, but not before wanting to look at Shane again. His angry glare before was gone, and that brief moment of eye contact was almost awkward to her, since the pompous Shane Gray almost seemed normal.

Mitchie continued her mental chastising during the rest of the class. After Shane's outburst, Mitchie and Caitlyn barely even looked at each other, but danced within close proximity, as if it provided them a united front against the holy terror of an instructor. It was obvious both girls had the same thing on their mind; as soon as the bell rang, Mitchie and Caitlyn made a beeline for the hallway after dropping their props off and scooping up their bags. They were almost in the clear until their instructor made an announcement.

"Over the course of the next three weeks I'll be trying something new that the academy has never done before. I want each of you to bring in one piece of music that you feel you can really just let go and dance to. I'll be breaking up the class into five groups and you'll all take turns to dance to the piece for your group." Not one person said a word; Mitchie wanted to vomit at the announcement. Caitlyn merely grabbed Mitchie's hand and pulled her into the now busy hallway.

"Did you-" Mitchie couldn't even finish her sentence.

"Yes, he's gone absolutely insane. We went to the academy together before he was discovered and became the bad third of Connect 3." Lola caught up to the pair now and gave Mitchie a sympathetic smile. "You remember how Shane Gray was actually normal all those years ago, Lola?" Lola shrugged.

"I think I try not to think about that many years ago. He did seem in an awful bad mood today. Even Tess' eye-batting didn't seem to hit the mark." As if on cue, Tess slid up beside Mitchie.

"Mitchie," she placed a hand around the crook of Mitchie's arm. "I'm taking you away from these people. I bet you want to know all about what Shane and I talked about after class, right?" Mitchie looked desperately at Caitlyn, but the latter smiled strangely and simply mouthed 'have fun' and slowed down to let Tess lead Mitchie away.

All Mitchie could think about was that she wanted to ask Caitlyn if she had even heard what was announced at the end of their dance class.

* * *

"I'm totally sure you saw that he chose me to go up and do the demo, Mitchie," Tess drawled as she continued to lead the brunette down the hallway by the crook of her arm while Peggy and Ella dragged behind. Mitchie was beginning to think it was normal for the other two to always follow behind Tess only a few feet away. "But I've been taking dance classes all year, so it's so obvious that he would totally see that I'm better than everyone else, right girls?" She glanced over her shoulder briefly at Peggy and Ella with a well-practiced toss of her head; Tess' blonde hair bounced and cascaded over her shoulders with effect.

Peggy and Ella smiled vapidly. "Yeah, I remember you telling me about the awesome choreographer that your mom hired who you got to work it," Ella said excitedly, almost too excited to actually be able to say something directed to Tess. Tess smiled at Ella and turned her attention back to Mitchie.

"Anyway, Mitchie, you have to perform with us during the midsummer concert." She paused, though once again, for dramatic effect. "Unless you've already made other plans with Caitlyn and Lola." This time, Mitchie couldn't lie.

"No, I haven't even thought about it, really," Mitchie blurted without thinking. Tess seemed pleased by this, and gave Mitchie's arm a squeeze.

"I've got the perfect piece to perform and definitely want you in." Mitchie looked surprised, and was slightly pleased until once again, Ella piped up with excitement.

"Yeah, Peggy and I will totally show you our back up dance moves and teach you the harmony." Whatever surprise Mitchie felt quickly dissipated.

"Back up?" She managed weakly, once again without thinking. Tess continued to smile at Mitchie, though her eyes seemed to harden slightly. The blonde nodded and gave another toss of her head.

"Were you planning on performing solo?" When Mitchie shook her head slowly, Tess continued, still smiling with the hard edge in her eyes. "It's just really intimidating to perform solo, you know, in front of all those people. What happens if you get stage fright and totally forget your words?" Mitchie shrugged weakly and seemed to be unable to refuse the request, rather, the demand. She could only respond quietly.

"When do you all practice?"

"Usually during the lunch hour," Peggy finally spoke up. Mitchie had to turn slightly to look at her. "Ella and I get together in our dorm rooms in the evening to go over our routine. It's important that we don't mess up, because people will still notice anyway." Tess shrugged her shoulders, as if she didn't really believe what Peggy said.

"You'll be fine. The piece I'm singing is perfect for me."

Mitchie was rendered speechless as the four of them walked into their final class together, and silently wondered how she managed to get herself into this mess.


	7. Treeside conversation

_A/N: Again, thank you so much for the reviews. I apologize in how long it took me to update; I've been away from the internet for longer than anticipated. Enjoy, and the disclaimer is in Chapter 1 in case you're wondering._

* * *

Chapter 7

The last class of the day flew by with relative ease; there was little else that Mitchie could focus on anyway outside of the embarrassment that was her dance class, as well as the embarrassment of having agreed to sing back up to Tess. The teenager had to admit however, that it would be quite the honor, and the story to tell Sierra when she got back home; that she had the opportunity to grace the stage with T.J. Tyler's very own talented offspring. Mitchie knew however that the only reason Tess even paid attention to her was because she lied about her mother's job. That sinking feeling in her gut pervaded until the final bell rang, and all the students rushed into the hallway to either head into the streets of New York, or back to their dorm rooms.

"You should come by our rooms some time, Mitchie. We're staying in Coda tower," Peggy smiled at Mitchie, seeming to warm up to her slightly. Mitchie returned the smile, and it faded slightly when Tess gave a snort.

"When is Brown going to realize that no one, seriously, no one even bothers with those archaic musical terms anymore?"

Ella twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers and mused vacantly, "I think it's kind of cute." Tess only snorted again.

"Anyway, we're on the top floor of Coda tower. What tower are you staying in anyway, Mitchie?"

Mitchie had to stammer through her reply. "Actually, I've got an apartment a little ways from here." Tess' eyes widened.

"You're staying in an apartment by yourself? Wow, your mom is totally awesome." Mitchie couldn't even refute Tess' comment, as the latter had already turned her attention away from Mitchie and over to Peggy and Ella. She gushed to her two followers, "we totally have to slumber party over there, don't you think? Then on the weekend we can hit up the streets and find the best outfits for the midsummer concert, and the final concert!"

Mitchie had to think fast. "Well, my mom is staying with me, actually. You know, there's that culinary school that's maybe about a half hour from here…" she trailed off, dreading the look on Tess' face. Tess' reaction however, was definitely not what Mitchie expected.

"Oh, I get it. You mean your mom is teaching at the school this summer so she's just staying with you while you attend the academy! That's so awesome, of your mom, I mean. Like, she cooks for all these awesome celebrities but she still has time to help out in the summer to people who are all trying to be the next big thing." Tess paused, and then laughed a little at a joke not yet said. "Except you know half of them just think they're awesome and they can't probably can't even cook at all." Peggy tugged on Tess' arm, as if to try and get the blonde to finally leave. Mitchie tried desperately to say something, but was left once again, speechless.

"Anyway, we better get going back to our dorm, Mitchie," Ella filled in the conversation for Tess as Tess continued talking to Peggy about the wannabes, as Tess called them, in the culinary school. Mitchie could barely hear Ella say, "Tess wants us all to practice. Maybe next time we have a session you'll be able to join us?" Mitchie nodded weakly, and could only watch the three of them saunter off while her arms hung limply at her sides.

* * *

The sight of the sun setting behind the trees was a welcome sight to Mitchie. She had stayed longer in the halls of the academy than most students, since the rest preferred to head straight to their dorms for a night of partying after the first day of classes. Several familiar faces had invited her along just because she was standing there, but the events of the day had left Mitchie exhausted. She had to decline the invitations politely, though weakly. Several hours later, she peeked out of a window to see that the sight of the sun was disappearing, and that the sky glowed purple and blue, as if bruised. Only then did she feel as if she'd be safe heading out into the main courtyard.

Mitchie listened carefully as she walked through the courtyard, her footsteps dampened by the soft grass. The whispers of voices prevailed, though she knew the voices were from far away, in the residence buildings. She held a guitar case close to her, having signed it out for the week from the rental room, and headed back towards the same tree that Caitlyn found her in that morning. A quick maneuver later and Mitchie found herself back up in the branches, tucked into a particularly crooked one. The guitar case rested easily between two branches, propped up securely so she could remove the instrument with ease. Mitchie leaned back against the tree and carefully played a few chords.

While she had no formal training in the guitar, Mitchie was able to play several key chords in order to create a simple rhythm and tune. She carefully, and softly played to herself, singing quietly. The sky continued to darken, and even as several lamps lit up in the courtyard, she still found it hard to see where she was playing. Eventually she relied entirely on what her fingers and mind knew; she sat there strumming the same chords over and over again while she thought about the giant lie she told.

Her thoughts finally culminated with a frustrated groan, and Mitchie leaned back heavily against the trunk of the tree. She smacked the palm of her hand gently against the body of the guitar, hearing the hollow thud ring out in the courtyard. What she didn't expect was the familiar male voice that called up to her from below.

"It didn't sound all that bad to me."

Mitchie bolted upright from her perch in the tree, and banged the guitar against a thick branch. The second thud that sounded through the courtyard was drowned out by her hissed curse.

"Shit!"

Whoever was standing there, and it was way too hard to make out the face in the dark, simply laughed. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was just listening to you play. Are there words to it as well?"

Mitchie shook her head, even though she knew dimly that he couldn't see her. "No," she stammered, "no words. I'm just playing around." A long silence hung between them, awkward on Mitchie's side.

"I used to spend a lot of time in this tree thinking," the male voice continued.

The familiarity of the voice hit Mitchie like a sledgehammer, and she held feebly onto the guitar. The reason why she didn't realize sooner was that the only other time that voice was directed at her, it was in disdain and anger.

She was talking to Shane Gray, and he probably counted on the darkness to hide his identity. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she grew.

* * *

"So, are there words to go with what you're playing?" Shane casually asked. He knew in the back of his mind there was probably no way this girl was the one he heard earlier in the afternoon, but he figured that it wouldn't hurt to idly start his search. He stared up at the girl in the tree, though he could barely make out her form, let alone her face.

"No." The reply was abrupt, as if she was trying to shrug him off and make him go away. Shane was more persistent than that, however, and leaned against the tree. He had every intention of sitting in the tree alone, but the soft guitar playing had made the unexpected intrusion slightly more bearable for him. His patience was lengthened by the music, and Shane was going to stand there until she left, and he could take her spot. He had staked some crazy unspoken claim over this very spot many years ago, and still now felt compelled to keep his claim.

"Somehow, I don't believe it. Come on, you can share." Shane smiled widely, knowing she could probably barely see it. He heard her shift her position.

"I don't really want to. Not with you," the girl responded quietly. Shane could hear her fingers tap restlessly against the body of the guitar.

"I'm hurt," he exclaimed mockingly. Again, her reply was quick and abrupt.

"So am I, thanks to you."

Her response caught him off guard and he frowned. Did she know who he was?

"But you don't even know me," Shane tossed back. "I bet we've never even spoken before this." Again, he could hear her fingers tap against the body of the guitar; the pause was long and awkward.

"You spoke to me this afternoon," she said, her voice hesitant. "I'm not sure if I would really call it that though, it was more like you were purposely trying to embarrass my friend and me." Again, Shane could hear her shift in the tree. He stopped paying attention though as he suddenly realized who he was talking to. He brought a hand to his forehead, wanting to rub his temples as he realized that the girl in the tree was the brunette from his dance class.

"Listen, about that," Shane started to try and explain, but then realized that he owed this girl nothing. "Actually," his voice lowered and thickened with irritation, "you shouldn't have been talking during my class. You and your friend were caught, and you're just upset by that." He almost held his breath as he waited for a reply.

* * *

"You're a jerk." Mitchie had enough of being pushed around for the day. First by Tess, then by Shane, and still by Shane. She stuffed the guitar back into the case and snapped it shut. Hopping down from the tree, she stepped away from the shadow of his body. "I hate your class," she whispered, still not having the courage to just yell it to his face. With her luck, Shane wouldn't hear her anyway.

"Where are you going?" Shane asked, moving forward. Mitchie took another step back and frowned. He gave no indication that he heard her previous comments, and she was relieved, though also annoyed by it.

"I'm going home," she responded, clutching the guitar case close to her body. She frowned and backed away.

"What, that's it? You're going to tell me you hate me and then leave? You don't even know me," Shane sneered at Mitchie. Her frown intensified.

"I don't need to know you. Bye." With that, she walked off, out into the brightly lit street.

* * *

Shane growled and smacked the trunk of the tree with an open palm. He was going to kick it when he felt something rustle, and then drop to the ground. In her haste, the girl had left her bag; Shane smile to himself at the thought.

He wished he had been able to say more, and was definitely taken back by her calling him a jerk and saying that she hated his class. Shane also wished that he could have seen the look on her face too; her voice sounded as if she was hurt, but he couldn't detect a pout and wondered if she even did. He'd been called a jerk many on an occasion, usually by a fan how was trying too hard to flirt with him. The words weren't what got to him this time. He really did want to see what her face showed, perhaps to see if she really meant it.

Shane smacked the tree again, realizing that she sounded entirely genuine. Part of him was bothered that this even bothered him half as much as it did, because he really couldn't figure out why. He had barely spoken to her for ten minutes. Slinging her bag over his shoulder, he stalked off towards the instructors' residence tower, intent on digging through the bag's contents to find out about the owner.


	8. Free period

_A/N: Again, sorry for the delay in posting, I've made this chapter longer in an effort to make amends. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, and hope you enjoy this one!_

* * *

Chapter 8

"Mom, are you sure you didn't see it?" Mitchie was growing frantic as she searched the small bedroom in the apartment she shared with her mom.

"I'm sure Mitch," her mom called from the bathroom. "Have you checked in the living room? You just threw your stuff down last night, I can't remember if you brought it with you!"

Mitchie frowned and fisted her hair as she looked around the now messy area of her room. She couldn't find her bag, and to make things even worse, she was almost positive that her wallet was there too. She felt a deranged sense of calm as she found her songbook within her book bag, but the smaller one was her acting purse for the summer.

"Maybe you left it on campus?" Her mom called again, now poking her head into the bedroom. "How did you even get home last night on the subway, Mitchie?"

"...I walked."

Connie sighed, and handed Mitchie some cash. "You better hurry or you're going to be late. Don't forget that guitar," she called out over her shoulder just before Mitchie ran out the door.

"Thanks mom!"

* * *

Today's trip to the academy was much faster than it was for Mitchie yesterday, since she had two main goals to achieve before her classes started for the day. Since she got home the night before she couldn't remember where she had placed her smaller side bag. She wasn't sure if she left it in her last two classes, or left it in the tree during that little confrontation with Shane Gray that evening. A quick glance at the branches of the tree showed that there was nothing there. Mitchie winced at the thought of last night, leaping over the few steps onto the landing to open the door into the academy.

Mitchie's second goal was to transfer out of Shane's dance class. After the conversation she had with him last night, she was quite positive that she would never be able to face him again. A tiny part of her figured that he would just ignore her like the arrogant jerk he'd proven to be, but for her own sanity, she wanted out. Her thoughts scrambled in her mind as she rounded the corner to the dance studio. She tugged on the door and sighed; the door was locked. She made her way to her last classroom of the day, and looked into a completely empty, tidy music room.

* * *

"Excuse me, did some one turn in a small side bag yesterday? It's a leather one, about this big, and brown?" Mitchie leaned on the counter to the administration office, hoping that someone would have been kind enough to drop the bag off.

"No dear, we don't have anything here like that." Mitchie nodded and tried not to frown too hard. "Is the counselor in?" The receptionist nodded, and Mitchie smiled in thanks as she was let into the office to see the counselor.

Counselor Mali was an older woman who rarely seemed to stop smiling. She was smiling when Mitchie walked into her office, and the smile didn't fade from her face even as Mitchie explained to her what she wanted to do.

"So you don't really see dance as part of your musical future, Miss Torres?" Counselor Mali typed quickly onto the small laptop that sat on her desk, obviously pulling up Mitchie's file and schedule. "Well, I can actually move your song writing class into the slot where the dance class is. You'll just have to find another course to fill up your last period, or you'll be left with a free period during the end of the day." Mitchie nodded.

"Do I need to decide right now? Or can I come back and make that decision?" Counselor Mali nodded, glancing at Mitchie quickly.

"Well, I'll print out a list of open courses during that period, and I'm sure the instructors won't mind if you go and sit in on them during the week. That way you can make your decision. There are students who choose to have a free period during the term however, since all of our music rooms and studios are open for students to practice what they've learned in their classes." Mitchie perked up slightly at that, remembering the beautiful piano she saw yesterday.

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind too," the teenager responded with a smile, forgetting about her lost bag for a fleeting moment. She thanked Counselor Mali, and let herself out of the office as students slowly started to fill the hallways before class.

* * *

"Problems with your classes already?" Caitlyn seemed to pop out of nowhere beside Mitchie, startling her.

"What do you mean?" Mitchie tried to downplay it, but Caitlyn saw through that rather quickly.

"That's Counselor Mali's office. What were you doing in there with her?" Mitchie glanced over at Caitlyn's questioning face, knowing that she couldn't get out of the question.

"I transferred out of the dance class." Caitlyn wrinkled her nose.

"You're leaving me by myself to deal with Queen Tess and that asshole?"

Mitchie gave Caitlyn a small smile, and quickly launched into the events of last night by the tree. By the time Mitchie was done, Caitlyn's mouth was hanging open.

"Well, I can see why you'd want out, then. That's pretty harsh, Mitchie. I guess I can't stay mad at you for too long about that." Mitchie had to laugh.

"No, I hope you won't stay mad for long at all, even when I tell you that you'll have to deal with Tess all by yourself." Mitchie had to duck Caitlyn's hand from smacking her upside the head.

* * *

The first half of the day flew by for Mitchie; she gave little thought to the fact that she wouldn't be in dance, and didn't actually think about it until lunch, when Tess closed in on her.

The cafeteria was crowded and Mitchie easily lost Caitlyn and Lola as the three of them made their way towards the food. The next thing Mitchie knew, her arm was being tugged on and Tess' voice rang in her ears.

"You're going to sit with us, right Mitchie?" Tess slipped her arm around Mitchie's effectively trapping the brunette. Mitchie managed a weak smile towards Tess, who took that as an indication to lead Mitchie away to a table at the far corner of the cafeteria, away from Caitlyn and Lola.

"We had an awesome practice last night, Mitchie. You have to come to the next one," Ella chirped up as Mitchie sat down.

"We figured out some pretty complicated moves that we're going to be doing behind Tess," Peggy added as Mitchie dug into her food slowly.

"I can't wait for dance class with Shane," Tess suddenly declared, looking around the cafeteria. "Do you think he comes to eat here? Probably not, why would he? If I had the choice I'd much rather be somewhere else." Tess scoffed and tossed her head, sending her hair bouncing over her shoulders. "But this is as good a spot as any in the cafeteria just to watch the masses, you know what I mean, Mitchie?"

"Uh, yeah sure Tess," Mitchie managed to agree quickly enough for Tess' liking, who then turned to talk to Peggy, leaving Mitchie free from the blonde's attentions for now. Ella took the opportunity to interrupt Mitchie's train of thought, however.

"So, Mitchie, did you practice the dance moves that Shane showed us yesterday? I hope he asks me to demonstrate, I practiced all last night between practicing with Tess for the midsummer concert."

Mitchie swallowed hard and gave Ella a crooked smile. "No, I didn't get a chance to practice. I'm not in that class anymore, actually." Tess interrupted their conversation quickly.

"Did I just hear correctly, Mitchie? Did you just say that you dropped out of Shane Gray's dance class? Are you completely out of your mind? I mean, he's obviously totally out of your league but still, you're giving up an entire summer to be taught by him?"

Mitchie wanted to scream, and she wanted to rip her hair out. Instead, she smiled slowly at Tess and took a deep inward breath. The rage-filled voice inside her head drowned out as she continued to breathe. "It just didn't work out with the schedule that I wanted, Tess," she began to explain, "it's horrible, I know, but you'll have to tell me all about the class and about Shane, okay?" Mitchie wanted to wince at her fake tone, but Tess simply missed it.

"That's so horrible! I'll fill you in on everything though." The bell rang, interrupting Tess, which Mitchie was very thankful for. "We have to go, girls. I'll see you later, Mitchie!"

All the brunette could do was breathe a sigh of relief and put her head in her hands as the three sauntered off.

* * *

After Tess, Peggy and Ella left, Mitchie went back to thinking very little about her dance class, and went back to worrying about her bag and her wallet. Having switched her last class into third period was perfectly fine for Mitchie, though she missed Caitlyn and Lola's company. She barely got to talk to them before they had to leave for class from the cafeteria. Mitchie was only able to give the two of them an apologetic look, which they seemed to understand with no difficulty. Caitlyn even gave Mitchie a mock farewell wave before Lola dragged her off.

Now with her third class over, Mitchie once again resumed her hunt for the bag, though any sign of it was beginning to look grim to her. She found herself a spot in the corner of the large courtyard, sheltered by some trees, to think about what she had left in the bag, and what would need to be replaced. The sun she was basking in was shadowed only minutes after she sat down, and she squinted up to look at the figure.

"You weren't in class."

Naturally, it had to be just the male she was trying to avoid – Shane Gray.

* * *

Shane had spent the majority of his night looking through the girl's bag. He dug out her wallet and flipped idly through it, noting a picture of the family with little interest. The only thing so far he knew was that her name was Mitchie Torres. He vaguely recalled overhearing a conversation between the brunette and T.J. Tyler's daughter about Mitchie's mother being a top chef somewhere in L.A., and figured that might have been why she was so unimpressed with him. He was now looking for dirt inside Mitchie's bag that he could torment her with for the rest of the summer.

Even as Shane dug through her bag he couldn't help but think to himself about why he seemed so bent on making Mitchie's life miserable. He thought back about their conversation by the tree and remembered that he didn't even know what she looked like.

In the morning, Shane once again pulled out Mitchie's wallet from her bag to look at her ID. He noted that she seemed pretty average as far as the girls he knew went, and decided that it wasn't her physical appearance that made him want to bother her; at least he wasn't attracted to her. With that relieving thought in his mind he slung her bag over his shoulder and stalked off towards the main campus. He didn't want to have to deal with any female related drama at all during the summer, especially not if he started it himself.

* * *

Shane waited impatiently all day until his class so that he could see the look on Mitchie's face when he walked in with her bag. He had no intention of returning it to her until she came to speak with him first, at which point he would have demanded an apology for her calling him a jerk the night before. At that point, on his way to the dance studio, he realized that he just wanted to make her sorry for calling him a jerk. The very thought brought a smile to his lips, which faded just as quickly as he walked into the classroom, later than everyone else.

She wasn't in class.

All the students noted to themselves that Shane Gray was especially standoffish in class today.

* * *

Trying hard not to kick all the students out as soon as the bell rang, Shane had to keep from running through the halls to try and look for Mitchie. He honestly didn't want to have to hold on to her bag forever, especially if she didn't even know that he had it. At this point, he just wanted to confront her about her whereabouts in his class, and then throw the bag at her face.

He didn't have to look far though; as he stalked past a window looking out to the large courtyard, he saw her sitting there, knowing full well what she looked like now by her ID.

"You weren't in class," Shane stomped over to her, blocking her sunlight. Mitchie looked offended, and then paled slightly.

"I dropped your class," she said after yet another long awkward pause. Shane fought the urge to scream in her face.

"You dropped my class," he repeated sarcastically. "You dropped my class?"

Mitchie frowned up at him, which only intensified the furrow over his brow. "It conflicted with my schedule." She lied poorly to him.

"Well, as far as I can tell, your schedule right now consists of you sitting here with a free period, with no purse." Shane dangled her bag just out her arm's reach. Mitchie lunged for it, but he stepped back. "Not until you apologize for calling me a jerk, and tell me why you dropped my class."

Surprisingly, Mitchie laughed at him, though the sound was nowhere near pleasant.

"You're crazy. Give me back my bag or I'll tell the administration that you stole it."

"Tell me what I want to hear."

"No. Give me back my bag," Mitchie's voice was growing more and more agitated the longer Shane refused to return the bag. He now contemplated holding onto it until she started screaming at him.

"Tell me what I want to hear," Shane annunciated his words carefully, speaking slowly to her.

"You are such a jerk!" Mitchie finally lost it and raised her voice at him. She threw her hands up in the air and got up to walk away. "Fine, keep the damn bag. Keep it! You're a self-centered asshole, and I can't even believe I even listen to your cookie-cutter music. It's all bullshit. Just keep my stupid bag. Leave me alone!"

While Shane was actually waiting for this reaction from her, he was surprised by how strongly she reacted, and actually regretted making her say some things she just said. He frowned and stepped forward, holding out her bag. "Take it," he growled, becoming infuriated with what she said to him.

"Excuse me?" She turned to look at him, her eyes wet.

"Take your bag. And don't you dare call my music cookie-cutter bullshit."

Mitchie grabbed the bag from his hands, but still seemed to want to fight.

"Prove it," she snapped at him, rummaging through her bag for her wallet. Shane almost laughed as she looked through it possessively, as if sure he had taken something from it.

"Meet me in the grand piano studio after today is over then, and I'll prove it to you, Mitchie Torres."

Shane left Mitchie standing there with her mouth open and her open wallet dangling in her hand.


	9. Lunchtime interruption

_A/N: Seeing as this is my first ever ff, I can see why authors value the reviews so much. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Updating regularly has been put on a backburner right now but I'll still try my best to get what I can out to you all!_

* * *

Chapter 9

Shane left Mitchie completely bewildered, standing in the large courtyard. He gave her a casual wave over his shoulder that she could only return with a shake of her head. She had to ask herself if she had heard him correctly. He had challenged her to meet him after classes were over, in the studio, so he could prove to her that his music wasn't cookie-cutter. The worst part was that he now knew her name, which led Mitchie to conclude that he had gone through her bag, and through her wallet.

Looking down at the wallet in her hand, Mitchie shook it slightly, as if trying to fling off any lingering germs that Shane might have gotten on it. With a sigh, she stuffed the wallet back into her side bag, and slung it over her shoulder tightly. A quick glance at her watch let her know that she still had a good hour to go before she had to decide whether or not she was actually going to meet him as he dared her to.

There was no denying it – even for a pop star with his attitude, Shane Gray was gorgeous up close and personal.

* * *

Mitchie's words still stung Shane strongly as he stalked over the courtyard grass and back into the academy building. He all but slammed the door shut behind him into the grand piano studio, and simply stood there to stare at the piano. This particular studio room mesmerized him this year; he still couldn't get that girl out of his mind, whoever she happened to be. He stared at the piano, still able to hear her music float to his ears, and now imagined what she might look like.

Shane continued to stare at the piano, but was unable to bring up any pictures in his mind about what the girl might look like. All he really had to follow was the sound of her voice, and for some reason, no amount of creativity could do the voice justice. He frowned at himself and sat down at the piano, playing a quiet riff and thinking of her song.

There was no denying it – whoever that girl was, she was seriously affecting Shane Gray; so much for no female drama.

* * *

Mitchie jumped at the sound of the bell, signalling the end of the day's classes. She watched the hallways from her shaded corner of the courtyard, and observed the masses as they all flooded out into the hall and the courtyard, then into the streets. She sat there for several more minutes as the crowd continued to thin out, to contemplate whether or not she was really going to be going to meet Shane just as he asked her to not even two hours ago.

Fiddling with the spiral binding on her notebook, Mitchie got up with a resolved sigh, trudging back towards the academy building.

* * *

Mitchie was wary as she approached the studio, even as the halls were deserted, all the students gone back to their dorms. The sound of the piano drifted lazily down the hallway, and light from the studio shone onto the floor. Mitchie stopped at the doorway and as promised, Shane was sitting in the studio, at the piano. He didn't look up from his playing, so Mitchie remained at the threshold of the doorway, where she could make a quick getaway if needed.

Even as Mitchie stood there for several long minutes, Shane remained focussed at the keyboard. Mitchie had to admit that the music he was playing was something she had never heard before; Connect 3's music style was nothing like what she was experiencing now. She had to smile even in spite of herself, and relaxed her pose, leaning against the frame of the door. Her head rested against the frame as she simply stared off into space, lost in the music that Shane was playing.

Mitchie almost wished that Shane would start singing, and as if he was reading her mind, he suddenly broke out into song. She was surprised by the words; Shane sang about searching for a girl, and as typical of a love ballad as it might have been, she was still touched, probably because he was singing so close to her. She closed her eyes and sighed wistfully, wishing that the singer at the piano wasn't such an asshole.

"Not so cookie-cutter anymore, is it?" The sarcastc drawl cut through the piano music, startling Mitchie out of her reverie.

"No, it's actually very good," she replied earnestly, trying not to make direct eye contact with Shane. Though he was a complete asshole in her eyes still, she had to admit that he was a talented musician.

Shane looked surprised to hear her admit it, and his tone softened slightly. "This is the type of music that I grew up on. I'm finding it again now," he ran his fingers over the keys, playing a soft trill.

"How come Connect 3 doesn't play this?" Mitchie held her breath after asking the question, dreading Shane's reply as she saw his face harden. She was horrible at reading someone's character, and Shane just about seemed impossible. She lay the blame partially at the fact that she thought he was attractive, and mentally scolded herself. She was so preoccupied with that she almost missed his reply.

"It doesn't sell albums, Mitchie," he nearly spat out. "It's not what our fans want to hear. They don't go for this, our label says." Shane glared at her as if daring her to challenge him. Mitchie shrunk away from the doorway towards the deserted hallway.

"I would have bought it," she managed to say finally.

* * *

Shane didn't get it. He'd never once met a girl who would so easily shy away from him since he became famous. Mitchie was either treating him like some musical god, or she truly didn't buy into the whole fame thing. For a moment Shane was confused until he remembered what her mother did. It seemed to make her behavior make more sense to him. He observed her carefully as she stood by the door, waiting for his reply.

"Thanks," was all he could manage, his tone curt, but not as gruff as before. "I was inspired to write it here, actually."

Mitchie nodded at him. "This is a pretty inspirational campus," she agreed. Shane continued to stare at her oddly, and she must have noticed since her gaze returned to the polished floor.

"Hey, have you been to Central Park at night yet? If you want to see something inspiring, we should go." He watched Mitchie hesitate at the door, and then shake her head with a frown.

"Maybe another time. I have to get home to my mom," her response was lame, as if she'd always had problems saying no to people. There was something that made her say no to him easily, which only intrigued Shane more.

"Look, I'm sorry for being a jerk to you before. I don't even care if you never want to be in my class again. Just one walk around the park?" Shane didn't even think about how pleading he may have sounded. Mitchie obviously wasn't falling for it, though her answer took longer to come out this time.

"I really need to go back to the apartment. Maybe another time." She turned to leave but wasn't completely out of earshot.

"I'll ask you later then," Shane called out to her, a smile lingering on his face.

* * *

Mitchie winced as she all but ran down the hallway. Determined as she was to detest Shane Gray for the whole summer, she was completely shocked to find that he was turning out to be a decent human being. His excessive mood swings were another thing altogether to handle, but she felt almost dizzy from knowing that she almost had a civil conversation with him. Her cheeks flamed as she recalled his request of a walk in the park, and though rationally she knew it was totally harmless, it wasn't right for her to even think to go out anywhere in public with Shane Gray. Chances were, the only reason why he was even talking to her was because he thought she was in the same social sphere as he was, with her mom being a top chef somewhere in L.A.

Slumping against the wall, Mitchie sighed and ran her hands through her hair. Her back stiffened though, as a voice rang out in the darkened hallway.

"You look stressed. My music wasn't that bad, was it?"

Though it was honestly the last voice she wanted to hear, Mitchie still managed a reply. "It has nothing to do with you. Excuse me." Shane didn't plan on letting her go easily though.

"Let me walk you back to your apartment." Mitchie glanced at him and saw the mocking grin on his face.

"I'd rather not be paparazzi fodder. I'll be fine on my own."

"Oh come on," Shane sighed at her. "They don't even care about me anymore. There's tons of other celebrities running around this city."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Mitchie hastened away, determined not to stop until she got back to her apartment.

"I hope that's a promise!"

* * *

"Oh wow, you better not breathe a word of this to Tess, and be so glad that you're not in dance class with us," Caitlyn gaped at Mitchie after the latter confessed what happened the day before in class.

"Please don't remind me that it ever happened, Caitlyn," Mitchie groaned, putting her head down on the cafeteria table. So far that day Mitchie had been able to avoid Tess, and was even more fortunate that the blonde didn't capture her during their lunch period. Caitlyn put a hand on the back of Mitchie's head and ruffled her hair playfully.

"You'll be fine." As if signalling for something worse to happen, another voice chimed in.

"What's wrong with Mitchie?" Mitchie didn't even have to look to see who was speaking to know who it was. Caitlyn fell deathly silent, and Lola kicked Mitchie from underneath the table.

"Nothing's wrong at all, Instructor Gray," Caitlyn chirped up after Mitchie decided not to say anything. At the ridiculous title that Caitlyn addressed Shane with however, Mitchie looked up. Shane had the decency to look mildly embarrassed by Caitlyn's address, and corrected her before Mitchie had a chance to say anything.

"It's just Shane."

"Sure, Shane," Caitlyn said hesitantly. Mitchie glanced around the cafeteria quickly and noticed that there were more than just a few heads turned their way. Still, she refused to say anything to Shane to attract more attention to them. Shane stood there awkwardly for a few more seconds before finally giving a shrug.

"Guess I'll see you and Lola in class, Caitlyn. See you later, Mitchie." He smiled without a trace of nastiness behind it and then walked off, leaving Caitlyn, Mitchie and Lola with their mouths hanging open.

"What the heck just happened, Mitchie? You totally left details out last night." Caitlyn gave Mitchie a look, and Lola simply picked up her things to go as the bell rang.

* * *

"So, what did Shane Gray want with you and those two you always hang out with," Mitchie looked up again to realize that Tess was now before her in a rather empty cafeteria. Peggy and Ella, strangely, were nowhere in sight.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Mitchie said, trying to dismiss the question. Tess seemed undeterred, however.

"He's probably just coming to gloat at you about dropping his class, and all the things you're missing out on, Mitchie. Really, if you want Peggy and Ella to teach you the moves, I'm sure they'll have no problem with it. They're obviously not dancing as well as I am, but they're not doing too poorly. Shane's had me up a couple more times to do demos, I wish you could have seen the chemistry between us. I'm going to ask him today if he plans on coming to the midsummer concert to watch me perform."

During Tess' little monologue, Mitchie tried her best to tune out the blonde, but almost had to cringe at the mention of the midsummer concert. She mentally told herself to get through with that particular event and then leave it at that.

"You're coming to practice tonight, right? We're going to be using one of the best studios in the school for the practice; the acoustics there are fantastic."

"Yeah, sure Tess, I'll meet you guys outside of your last class afterwards, I guess?" Mitchie smiled weakly. Tess flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Definitely. If we're lucky, maybe Shane Gray will come watch us."

Mitchie figured if she was really that lucky, she should just crawl into a hole and hide now.


	10. Practice and pizza

_A/N: So sorry for the super long period of no updating... I hope this makes up for it! Disclaimer in Chapter 1._

* * *

Chapter 10

Classes were starting to go faster for Mitchie now as she grew accustomed to her new schedule. She found her mind wandering in her third class in anticipation for her free period. A glance out the window showed her that it was beautiful, sunny and warm outside, so she couldn't wait to sit in the courtyard to have some much needed alone time. Still, she didn't feel the need to hurry when class was over, and her stroll towards the courtyard was slow and leisurely. Perhaps that was her first mistake.

"Aha. I figured that I would be able to catch up with you after class," Shane's voice seemed to appear out of nowhere, and he popped up beside Mitchie, slowing his pace to match hers. Mitchie's strides quickened slightly but he kept up easily with her.

"What are you talking about, Shane?" She gave him a suspicious look, which he returned with a warm smile that unsettled Mitchie slightly.

"Are you going out to the courtyard? It's beautiful outside; we should go sit out there." Before Mitchie could even suggest otherwise, Shane had already steered her out into the courtyard.

"Don't you have to prep for your class or something?" Mitchie's question was a lame attempt to divert his attention away from her, but he was not so easily diverted.

"No, I'm pretty much set for the next couple of weeks. The class is going pretty well; Caitlyn is actually a wicked dancer, did you know that?" He continued to walk with her until they reached a stone bench in the sun. "Let's sit here."

"I'd actually prefer to sit on the grass," Mitchie walked away from him to sit down on the grass, where she spread her things out, hoping that he would get the hint. He didn't, and still sat down with her, just beyond where she had spread her books out.

"Sure, this is good too." Fighting the urge to frown, Mitchie realized that she probably wasn't going to get rid of Shane today.

"So what're you teaching them, then?" Her mind was spinning; Shane kept staring at her and it was hard for her to look away. The fact that he was so attractive was irritating her.

"Just some basic dance moves, I'm thinking of having them do a piece for the final concert. You know, show everyone what they've done since we've started this term." Shane smiled with mock arrogance. "I want everyone to see what an awesome instructor I am as well, naturally." When Mitchie didn't say anything and only stared at him with mild disgust, Shane raised his hands in the air. "Look, I was just joking. I may actually be starting to enjoy myself, but if you tell anyone, I'll just deny it and slander your name."

"Whatever," Mitchie responded, looking down at her books. Shane stayed quiet for several moments and when Mitchie looked up again he was sprawled out on the grass, hands tucked behind his head.

"So you must eat pretty well, huh?" Shane murmured after a few moments. Mitchie looked over at him in surprise, but his eyes were closed as he soaked up the sun's rays. "I mean, being the kid of a celebrity chef must mean that all the new menu items are tested on you, right?"

Mitchie was able to answer without it fully being a lie. "Yeah, I guess so." Her mother did make Mitchie and her dad try out all the new dishes, so that wasn't far from the truth.

"I mean," Shane continued, totally oblivious to Mitchie's discomfort, "you totally get what it's like when everyone treats you differently. Whether they actually want to know you or just get all the free stuff and the flashing cameras." Shane made a face and then shrugged at Mitchie. "Doesn't it just drive you crazy?"

Mitchie opened her mouth to reply but the ring of the bell cut her short. "Damn, I have to get going, or I'm going to be late." Mitchie gathered up her things quickly, missing Shane's questioning look.

"Where do you have to go?"

"Tess is practicing for the midsummer concert and I'm going to be late," Mitchie muttered without thinking. She finally looked up to see a huge grin on Shane's face. "What's so funny?" Mitchie said hesitantly.

* * *

"I can't believe Shane is here watching our rehearsal!" Ella gave Mitchie a hard jab in the ribs with her bony elbow. "He must totally dig her!"

"Of course he does, Ella," Tess seemed to appear out of nowhere, and Mitchie fought the urge to scream. Shane had followed her after hanging around all of last period, and was now seated against the wall in the little studio Tess was using for her practice.

"Tess, he's totally checking you out," Peggy whispered. Tess slapped a huge smile on her face and tossed her hair.

"Come on girls, from the top!" Tess pressed a button on a stereo beside her, and once again the little studio was filled with the pounding beat of a song. Shane gave Mitchie another mocking smile, and Mitchie swore that she would punch him for every time he did that again.

The rehearsal was tough; Tess was extremely demanding, though she seemed to force herself to be nicer as Shane was sitting and watching. Mitchie caught Peggy and Ella exchange some rather surprised looks with each other as Tess soothed them after the three had miss-stepped to the beat.

"She usually freaks," Ella explained calmly to Mitchie as they resumed the steps. "Normally she'd make us do it from the beginning too," Ella continued as if Tess' behavior was justified. Mitchie could only nod at Ella, catching Tess' sharp look in the mirror. The look didn't linger though, and Mitchie saw Tess look at Shane in the mirror. The blonde managed to catch his eye and she winked at him, offering a flirtatious smile also. Mitchie wanted to roll her eyes as she caught Shane return the wink with one of his own.

"I guess that wraps it up for the night, girls. I'm famished! Shane, did you want to come have dinner with us?" Tess concluded the practice after almost two hours and ignored the other girls; she only looked at Shane. The singer shook his head and gave a low laugh.

"I'd love to be entertained by you, but it'll have to be another night, Tess." Shane gave Tess a charming smile that Mitchie suspected was well-practiced.

Mitchie could almost feel the squeal that threatened to erupt from Tess. "I hope that's a promise, Shane," Tess said coyly. She finally turned to the girls. "Let's go then. Mitchie, you're coming too, right?"

Mitchie looked up, startled. "Oh no," she stammered, "my mom's waiting for me, I bet."

Tess nodded. "You know, one of these nights she should hook us all up at one of the finer restaurants around here. You'd come too, right Shane?"

Mitchie tried not to pale too much at the suggestion, but Shane came to the rescue, strangely.

"I'd rather not have the paparazzi around; you know they troll those restaurants." He gave Mitchie a funny look and she tried to avoid eye contact. Tess shrugged, thankfully missing that exchange. The pretty blonde was trying to agree with Shane almost too much.

"You're totally right, Shane. I totally forgot how much I hate the paparazzi. We're way better off somewhere else. But, another time! We'll make plans, right?"

"Sure thing, Tess," Shane said patiently, flashing another practiced smile.

Mitchie edged towards the door, eager to leave and get the hell out. "I'll see you all tomorrow! Thanks for the practice, Tess!" Only Ella and Peggy turned to say bye, and Mitchie took the cue to leave.

* * *

"You sure do walk fast," Shane panted, coming up beside Mitchie just as she stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"What are you doing?" Mitchie hissed at him, looking around quickly. The last thing she wanted to see was the flash of a camera.

"Oh relax, Mitch," Shane shrugged dismissively."

"Mitchie," she corrected him quickly.

"Okay fine. Relax, Mitchie. A ton of other celebrities have come and gone in this city. They don't care about me anymore, seriously. I've been a good boy so they have nothing juicy to report. There's another star out there somewhere flashing her privates and that sells more. Trust me." Shane shoved his hands in his pockets and walked along beside Mitchie, who had her head down. "So where are we going?"

"We?" Mitchie stopped in her tracks and gave Shane an exasperated look. "I'm going home so I can eat. Shouldn't you return to your dorm or something?"

"Naw. Come on, I know a good pizza joint around here." Shane grabbed Mitchie's wrist and led her down the street quickly. She didn't even have the energy or the wits about her to object.

* * *

"You don't have to look around like that you know; you're only going to draw attention to us, and if I didn't know better I think that's what you're trying to avoid," Shane spoke casually as he sprawled out on one side of the parlor booth. He stared at Mitchie as the corners of his lips tugged upward, threatening to smile. The brunette across from him looked nervous and apprehensive as she kept looking around the pizza parlor.

"I just don't want to see the flash of cameras, okay?" Mitchie mumbled quietly.

Shane shrugged at her. "You're still not used to it yet? I bet you get photographed all the time with your mom given what she does, and who she feeds." Shane watched Mitchie frown and look down at the table.

"It's not that," she stammered, looking around yet again. Shane watched her fidget with the straw of her soda and he shrugged at her.

"You'll be fine here. No one will be looking for me, or you, or your mom, seriously."

Mitchie seemed to relax slightly, but only just that. She still sat across from Shane, her shoulders rigid and her back straight.

"Just eat something, and I'm sure it'll calm you down. The pizza here is fantastic." Shane looked away from Mitchie only to smile at a server to get her attention.

* * *

"I'm sure you saw her ogling you during her practice tonight," Mitchie said between laughs. An hour had already passed in the parlor and both Shane and Mitchie were doubled-up laughing. Their conversation seemed endless, though Shane knew that was too good to be true. They had started talking just after they ordered their food, and continued to converse even as the food came and went. He was having a really good time with this girl, and found it easy to talk to her; it was easy to joke around and he was even getting used to the faces she'd make to the things he'd say.

"I admit that she's cute, and I was perhaps tempted to lead her on a bit," Shane said, chuckling. Mitchie shook her head, tried to give Shane a disgusted look, and suppressed a laugh with no success. A silence followed, giving the two teens time to sober up from their laughing. He fiddled with the fork on his plate, while she look down and tapped on the table with her fingers.

"So why did you decide to come back to teach at the academy?" Mitchie asked the question carefully, as if afraid of what Shane would say.

Shane sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He slouched slightly in the booth and gave Mitchie a wry smile. "I didn't really have a choice to come back. The guys told me that I had to."

Mitchie nodded and said nothing. Shane noted that she took a long drink from her glass, as if that would buy her time for a reply. When she still refused to say anything, Shane continued to speak in order to fill the silence before it grew awkward.

"I don't really mind it, I suppose," Shane said quietly, staring intently at Mitchie. He noticed that whenever she caught his eye, she would look away again. He found it mildly surprising that even though she broke eye contact, not once did he notice her cheeks turn pink. He wasn't sure if he was offended by that, or even more intrigued by it. "Don't get me wrong, I fought and screamed about it just like you'd think I would, given what the tabloids say about me." Shane managed a wry grin while Mitchie smiled slightly at his admittance.

"Well, at least you're honest about it," she quipped lightly with a low laugh.

"I know, right?" Shane smiled at her, and once again she avoided his eyes. "It's been pretty interesting so far. I've met some really cool people, I guess." Mitchie nodded, tracing the patterns of the table with her fingers. Again, the pair lapsed into silence, though it was less awkward than expected. When the server came to take away their plates, Shane pushed himself back against the booth seat.

"I should probably head home," Mitchie said, fishing out some money. She placed it on the table and pushed it towards Shane. He thought about arguing it, but decided not to push his luck. The last thing he wanted her to think was that it was a date.

"Yeah, I should probably get back to the dorms. I had a good time. You make some pretty funny conversation," Shane gave Mitchie a grin, which she returned.

"I guess I'll see you around, Shane."

"You mean tomorrow, Mitchie. Good night."

"You too."

Shane watched her walk out of the parlor, and she gave him a quick wave as she passed him in the window. He relaxed back into the booth seat with a smile on his face, though it was interrupted by the vibration of his cell phone. He only had to glance at the number on his display before he answered it.

"I'm actually having a great time here, guys..."


	11. Concert and Central Park

_A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for so long. I've run out of a lot of steam perhaps, but I haven't forgotten about Shane or Mitchie. PPP was okay, I thought (I think Selena Gomez is such a cutie) but it doesn't compare at all to Camp Rock. I'm impatiently waiting for CR2! Enjoy the following chapter. Your reviews all mean very much to me and I really like reading them – especially the ones that might contain more ideas to keep me writing._

_

* * *

_Chapter 11

"You're home late, Mitchie," Connie called from a room in the apartment as Mitchie let herself back in.

"Yeah, I just went out for dinner with a friend after practice with Tess," Mitchie said. She paused momentarily to think about what she had just told her mom; did she really consider Shane a friend? After giving a shrug she continued, "We went to this really nice pizza parlor. You think you'd want to head there for dinner one day after I'm done at the academy and you're done your classes?"

"That sounds great, Mitch," Connie called back. "How was your practice? You had a practice today for that concert you were telling me about, right?"

Mitchie sighed quietly as she slowly took off her shoes and answered her mom. "It was fine. Really hard work, but Tess is pretty determined to make sure that everything goes exactly how she wants it to be. I think she's pretty used to this though, given that her mom is you know, T.J. Tyler."

Connie popped her head out into the hallway and gave Mitchie a soothing smile. "Well, I'm glad you're making friends at the academy. You were so worried that you wouldn't be able to."

Mitchie had to stop her mom before she started to gush. "Really Mom, it's been just fine. Everyone has been really cool, and there are lots of super talented people there. I'm having a great time."

"I'm glad Mitch," Connie responded, and turned to go back into her room. "I'm sorry I can't chat with you hon, I've got so much work to prep for tomorrow's class."

Mitchie smiled in spite of herself, glad that her mom was having a good time at the culinary school. "We'll talk later, Mom, don't sweat it." Just as Mitchie set her bag down, she felt a buzz in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. It buzzed in her hand again, signaling that she had just received a text message. Slightly puzzled, she opened it and suddenly remembered swapping numbers with Shane.

_You and me, pizza again next week? - Shane._

Mitchie tossed her phone from hand to hand idly as she walked into the apartment bedroom, contemplating her reply.

It would take Mitchie nearly an hour before she finally typed back to Shane on her phone.

_Sounds good! - Mitchie._

* * *

"Oh, my, gosh, Mitchie. Tess is going to hate your guts if she ever finds out," Caitlyn's smile was almost Cheshire-like as she grinned from ear to ear.

"Caitlyn, you know can't tell her. You can't tell anyone. No one needs to know. I feel like I told you this the last time I told you what happened with Shane," Mitchie realized that she sounded almost desperate, but she really was. There was no need for anyone but Caitlyn to know what happened, and Mitchie had to really trust that Caitlyn wouldn't spill, now that she knew.

"Well, you know that I'd never talk to her, or talk to anyone who talks to her so your secret is safe with me," Caitlyn scoffed lightly, "but I still don't see why you feel the need to keep it from Tess." Running a hand through her wavy hair, Caitlyn continued, "You don't need to keep reminding me every time you know. You can trust me!"

Mitchie glanced at Caitlyn and shrugged, and answering her comment about Tess. "From what you tell me I feel like I don't quite need Tess Tyler on my bad side just yet."

Caitlyn opened her mouth as if to make another smart comment but simply smiled at Mitchie. "Speak of the devil," Caitlyn said between gritted teeth. Mitchie turned just in time to see Tess, Peggy and Ella descend upon them.

"Oh Mitchie," Tess said loudly, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "you missed out on such a good time last night. I caught up with Shane in the dorms after dinner and we just chatted up a storm." Tess elbowed Caitlyn out of the way and the latter gave a loud snort before walking off.

"That's really great Tess," Mitchie said wearily, watching Caitlyn snigger at her out of the corner of her eye. "What did you and Shane talk about?" Mitchie could barely finish her sentence before Tess took over again, her voice loud and her eyes searching to catch eye contact of anyone who might be listening to her.

"Well Shane and I have just so much in common you know," Tess smiled sweetly at Mitchie. "I'm so glad that you told him about my practice. I've asked him to come watch all of our practices now because I really feel that he could offer you all some pointers so that my performance is just perfect."

Somewhere, Mitchie swore she could hear Caitlyn crack up laughing.

"That's really good of you, Tess," Mitchie murmured. Tess suddenly turned away from Mitchie and almost started to run down the hallway. Mitchie looked in that very direction and saw Shane standing in the doorway, which was the answer to her unasked question.

"Oh Shane!" And with that, Tess Tyler, as well as Peggy and Ella were gone. Mitchie leaned against the nearest wall and sighed.

"Aren't you just thrilled about having Shane Gray at every single practice until the midsummer concert?"

"Caitlyn, please don't torture me."

"But it's just so easy, Mitchie." Caitlyn laughed, and pulled Mitchie into the class. "We're going to be late."

* * *

_Are you going to come with me to Central Park yet?_

_Today isn't so good..._

_Tomorrow it is, then!_

_What are you talking about, Shane?_

_You can't back out, Mitchie. We're going to Central Park tomorrow._

Mitchie sat out on the grass during her free period, sprawled on her stomach while she just stared at her cell phone. She knew she had to answer Shane soon and fiddled with the buttons of her phone as she read the short series of text messages over and over again. She started to type her reply but was interrupted abruptly.

"You're not thinking of bailing on me tomorrow are you, Mitchie Torres?"

Mitchie sat up quickly and brushed dried grass off of her shirt. "I really don't think I can go, Shane," she looked up at him briefly and gave an apologetic shrug.

"Are you still worried about those cameras?" Shane sat down beside Mitchie and cocked his head, waiting for a reply.

Mitchie had to think fast. "The midsummer concert is just over a week away. We really need to practice to make sure Tess' performance is just perfect." Mitchie had to look away from Shane to wince at her own words; she was starting to sound like she'd been brainwashed by Tess.

Shane laughed. "You really want me to believe that, don't you? You're a pretty rotten liar, Mitchie, but I'll take your word on it this time."

Mitchie sighed. "Really, the concert-"

"Oh, I know all about the concert. Tess cornered me as soon as I got back to the dorms last night and pretty much made me promise to show up to all of her practices." Shane gave Mitchie a daring wink.

"I'm not going with you to Central Park after practice," Mitchie said warningly as Shane simply laughed.

"I'll wear you down eventually. Maybe you can just borrow some of Tess' clothes so the paparazzi think that I'm with her." Shane leaned back onto the grass and closed his eyes to soak up the sun.

"Very funny Shane," Mitchie stared at Shane openly now that his eyes were closed. She tried not to stare at him too much, especially since she knew that he was a really good-looking young man. Before she could get too lost in his good looks however, Shane's comment set off a switch in the back of her mind. If only she could find a disguise...

* * *

The days up until the midsummer concert passed by more quickly than Mitchie realized. Friday came, and the weekend was far too short. Though she wasn't entire comfortable with the idea, her and Shane went back to the pizza parlor for a second dinner and an even better and more laugh-filled conversation than last time. During her free periods, Mitchie found herself almost looking forward to having Shane sit down beside her on the grass. Soon though, the day of the Midsummer Concert finally came, and Mitchie finally saw her costume that she was supposed to be wearing on stage with Tess.

"You're serious?" Mitchie held up the shiny slinky dress and stared at Ella. The shorter girl giggled at Mitchie and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"It really isn't as bad as it looks. Don't worry about a thing anyway. We just need to make sure we do exactly as we practiced-"

"Everyone is going to be looking at me anyway, Mitchie, so don't worry at all about how you're going to look in it." As if she suddenly realized that she should also say something nice, Tess smiled sweetly, "I'm positive that you'll look fantastic in it anyway!"

Ella giggled again and nodded as if to agree with Tess. "Come on, Mitchie, we really don't want to waste anymore time. I still have to do your makeup and your hair!"

Mitchie let Ella lead her away, and on her way to a chair she passed by Caitlyn who was also performing in the concert. Caitlyn glanced at the dress in Mitchie's hand with a knowing grin.

"Nice outfit," Caitlyn pointed out, as Ella scowled.

"Nice face," Ella shot back and tried to drag Mitchie away. Caitlyn burst out laughing as Mitchie was led away, all the while giving Caitlyn a pleading look. "Ugh, you shouldn't even talk to her, Mitchie. I know this is your first year and all though, but like, Tess has your back, you know?" Ella continued to mumble to Mitchie. Peggy soon joined them, helping Ella tug the dress over Mitchie's head.

"We are going to look so fabulous," Peggy said with a smile as she started to hand make up to Ella. Mitchie returned the smile, warming up to Peggy's enthusiasm. "This is going to be a great concert you know. There hasn't been three of us singing with Tess for a long time!" A scoff suddenly sounded over Mitchie's shoulder.

"You could hardly call Caitlyn a third, Peggy," Tess seemed to materialize out of nowhere, wearing a long shimmering gown that seemed to make her glow. Her hair was done up beautifully, and the entire ensemble only served to accentuate the length of her limbs and her lithe figure. As nasty as Tess Tyler could be, Mitchie had to admit that she was a very beautiful girl. Mitchie was so caught up in staring that she almost missed what Tess said next. "She was nothing but dead weight, girls. She had no idea how to support me, and frankly she was only making my performance look like something out of amateur karaoke night." The blonde scoffed again and stood patiently while Ella tucked several strands of loose hair back into place. "As if I need that kind of thing to bring me down. Anyway, Mitchie, you look just like Peggy and Ella so I'm positive that you'll all be the best back up a singer could ever ask for."

While Tess smiled sweetly, Mitchie fought hard not to completely balk at what Tess just told her. Out of the corner of her eye she could have sworn that Peggy tightened her jaw, but when she turned to look at Peggy, the dark skinned girl was smiling away blissfully.

"So, when are we on?" Mitchie asked after an awkward silence. She wasn't sure if she really enjoyed haviing Tess' fake smile directed at her for much longer.

"Oh, before you even know it!" Tess smiled hugely and if Mitchie was more aware, she could swear that Tess was preening. Just then, Ella came running from the stage wings.

"We're on!"

* * *

"I knew I could wear you down to come with me to Central Park!" Shane practically crowed at Mitchie as she met him at the gates, long after the concert was over. The lights were on though the rest of the park was now dark as night had set in.

Mitchie shrugged at Shane. "I figured this was the easiest way to get you to stop harrassing me to go with you," she grinned impishly at him and he laughed. "That and there was something on one of the dressing racks that was just my size, and that I would never wear." She brushed at her jacket, the grin growing wider.

Shane gave Mitchie the once over, observing the outfit and laughed again. "Well, good thing for that concert, then. I saw you up on stage with Tess and her friends." He grew somber and quirked an eyebrow upwards at her. "You didn't really look like you enjoyed yourself all that much. You're a horrible actress."

Mitchie sighed at Shane. "It's just not something that I'm used to doing, is all," she lied quickly. "I don't ever get so dressed up to perform. I don't see why I even had to since I was singing back-up," she trailed off and shrugged. "Tess looked amazing though, I have to say."

"Yeah, she looked pretty hot," Shane responded, not bothering to look at Mitchie, "looked just like all those other pop stars out there, so I guess she'll fit right in if she ever makes it to the big leagues."

The two of them walked down one of the illuminated pathways, while Mitchie hugged the thin jacket around her, and pulled her hat down lower. Shane laughed quietly and pulled the hat up slightly. "You don't need to hide, Mitchie, no one is going to see you. Besides, like you said, you're dressed up so they'll never guess who I'm hanging out with anyway." Both of them laughed, and continued on their walk, not realizing that a couple hundred yards away, a blonde was watching with her eyes narrowed.

* * *

"Who do you think that is, Tess?" Ella jabbed Tess sharply in the side, hissing loudly.

"Shut up, Ella! I don't want him to hear us and see that we're following him!" Tess frowned at her friend and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"He's not going to hear us, Tess, we're practically three blocks away from them at this distance," Peggy sighed and looked around impatiently. "Can we please get back? I'm sure you can just ask Shane tomorrow or something. It's dark and I didn't bring a jacket!"

Tess scowled and looked off again at the dark haired girl walking beside Shane, her Shane. "I'm going to find out who that little brat is, and I'm going to make sure she knows that she is messing with the wrong person." With another toss of her hair, Tess turned around. "Come on girls, we're heading back so we can figure out how I'm going to find out tomorrow who Shane was hanging out with!"

While Ella and Peggy sighed behind her back, Tess stalked off.


End file.
